Making the investment case: Cost-effectiveness evidence for harm reduction

This briefing compiles geographically diverse evidence to enable advocates to make the case for the cost-effectiveness of harm reduction.

This advocacy work has never been more important.

HIV continues to rise among people who inject drugs, yet harm reduction funding is in crisis. Financial support for an effective HIV response for people who inject drugs in low- and middle-income countries totalled US$188 million in 2016 – just one-tenth of the US$1.5 billion that is needed annually by 2020.

International donor funding for harm reduction has reduced by one-quarter over the past decade. Middle-income countries are increasingly vulnerable as donors either reduce or withdraw funding. While many governments are investing more in domestic health and HIV responses, few are substantially investing in harm reduction, even where the need is great.